New Delhi, Mar 14 (PTI) Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu today held meetings with officials from various departments and allied bodies of the ministry.

Prabhu, who took charge of the ministry on Monday, emphasised on fast tracking of key airport projects and innovative financing for aerodrome projects, according to an official.

Besides, the minister discussed about aviation security, benchmarking of services against global standards and skill development for ensuring skilled workforce in aviation sector.

“Conducted back to back meetings with officers from various departments, allied bodies of Ministry of Civil Aviation. Discussed various initiatives being taken by the Ministry, challenges involved and the roadmap ahead,” the minister said in a tweet.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has chalked out a programme for upgradation of airports with an expenditure of Rs 18,000 crore in the next four years, Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey said earlier this month.